Positive player comparisons for the top-5 QB prospects in 2018 NFL Draft

It’s a lot easier to compare players we’ve only seen play against inferior competition in college to pro players we already know. Everyone does it. It’s an easy way to explain players to fans who don’t know the importance of arm slots or don’t care about strict measurables. It’s unfair to the players because no two players are the same, but we do it anyway. So let’s create some comps for the top-five quarterback prospects.

Sam Darnold

Darnold had comparisons to Tony Romo since he started this past season at the University of Southern California. It’s a good comp. Darnold, much like Romo, has some solid arm strength, but a bit of a wind-up in their throwing motion. Darnold also has some escapability and can make plays on the run outside of the pocket. Much like Romo, Darnold isn’t a huge threat to run but can do so. He’s not running speed option, but he’s not Tom Brady immobile.

Josh Allen

Carson Wentz has been the comparable player since anyone who knew who Josh Allen was. Allen is big, mobile, athletic, has a big arm, and played under Wentz’s coach who went from North Dakota State to Wyoming. This one is all about measurables as Allen isn’t close to Wentz statistically or in regards to their college win-loss records.

Baker Mayfield

Mayfield is undersized, accurate, mobile, creative outside of the pocket, a winner, and a leader. People have been trying to compare Mayfield to Drew Brees, but he’s more like Russell Wilson. Both quarterbacks took some time to get noticed — Wilson had five years in college, Mayfield four. Mayfield is much more outspoken than Wilson. He has character issues that didn’t Wilson didn’t have but the on-field product looks similar.

Josh Rosen

These comparables are the positive comparables so there won’t be much talk about Rosen’s supposed character concerns and aloofness. If we were doing bad comparables the one there is easy: Jay Cutler.

A good comparable isn’t that difficult either. Josh Rosen is Matt Ryan. He is a quarterback with great measurables, good arm strength, makes the right decisions and led a college football further than it ever should have made it. Ryan led Boston College, Rosen led UCLA. UCLA was a completely different team when Rosen was off the field. Rosen isn’t outspoken or super-charismatic — much like Ryan. Rosen will be a steal if he falls down the board.

Lamar Jackson

It’s Michael Vick. That’s pretty simple. We’ve never seen the same type of running ability, arm strength, sheer athleticism, and dominance since Vick. I’d say Jackson is a better prospect than Vick. He ran an offense with pro-style concepts. He is more accurate than Vick was, but Vick is the closest.

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